Saudi Arabian telco Zain KSA has launched the first phase of its commercial deployment of 5G Standalone (SA) using the 600-MHz band, with initial rollouts in Riyadh and Jeddah scheduled during the fourth quarter of this year.
In a statement released Thursday, Zain KSA said the full-scale commercial rollouts in Riyadh and Jeddah will be followed by a phased expansion across major cities, secondary cities, and the roads connecting them.
Zain KSA said its low-band 5G-SA service will not only support wider adoption of advanced digital services such as HD video calls, cloud applications to ultra-responsive mobile gaming and IoT, but also lay the foundation for next-gen services such as Voice over New Radio (VoNR), RedCap and network slicing, each of which represents potential new revenue streams.
Zain KSA acquired 30 MHz in the 600-MHz band during the Communication, Space, and Technology Commission (CST) spectrum auction in November 2024. The band enables Zain to provide more wide-area coverage with fewer cell sites, as well as deliver better in-building coverage.
“This deployment significantly extends our 5G coverage, ensuring our customers enjoy uninterrupted, high-performance connectivity,” said Zain KSA CTO Eng. Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Al Nujaidi.
